Carpe Aestatem
by vysed
Summary: Special Agent Edward Masen is assigned to solve four seemingly unrelated murders. He finds himself in a race to protect a possible fifth victim as June 9th looms closer.
1. Chapter 1

Thanks to katinki who is awesome and read my outline for this entire story (novella) and still said she liked the idea.

**Title: **Carpe Aestatem

**Summary: **Special Agent Edward Masen is assigned to solve four seemingly unrelated murders. He finds himself in a race to protect a possible fifth victim as June 9th looms closer.

**May 6, 2012**

"Here's another one for ya, Seth."

Detective Seth Clearwater opened the new file that landed on his desk. Working in the cold case division at the Detroit Metropolitan Police Department could get depressing for any officer, but for Seth, it was his ideal career choice and his cases-solved ratio proved it.

He was the final stop for all Detroit area unsolved murders. Working out of the main headquarters in downtown Detroit, at the very same desk his father used to sit, was something he was proud of. If _he _couldn't find a lose string worth pulling or a needle in the haystack, then the cases were simply unsolvable.

Most came to him after 11 months of dead ends. When the detectives frustratingly handed them over and it gave Seth one month to make something of it, or send it to the basement where it would be filed, and most like forgotten.

Logging into the national crime database, Seth typed in specifics noted by the lead detective. Every file he worked started this way. Physical descriptions of the victim, suspects, aliases, weapons, modus operandi or habits in schedules; anything the detectives put in the file, Seth put into the database.

At a few minutes before six, Seth shut down his computer and locked up the files still on his desk. He was going to meet his girl for dinner; so the unsolved case of one Mr. Emmett McCarty would just have to wait until tomorrow.

Taking another swig from his coffee, Seth flipped through the print out of pages again. Something was there. He knew it was. He just wasn't seeing it. He took another bite of his bagel and wiped the crumbs from the papers scattered over his desktop.

Under one of his queries, Seth had requested just about every variable of the crime he could: age range, male, single, Caucasian, exact cause of death, distinguishing marks. The list went on and on. The computer added case numbers to columns and then highlighting those that repeated in every row.

It was the last column that caught Seth's attention. Along with Emmett McCarty, three other cases had similar dates of interest. He noticed the date for each victim was June 9th. The years varied, but it was the start he needed.

Playing a hunch, Seth stacked all of his papers and set them to the side. He turned to his computer and requested the three other cases from the Police National Computer Database.

He walked to the printer and loosened his tie as the scanned information for each case printed out. Feeling the tingly excitement he sometimes got, Seth pulled a new manila folder from the cabinet and scooped up the pages. He spent another two hours reviewing each one.

Nothing concrete fit at first. There were enough holes to make the details seem insignificant; but, there were enough similarities that Seth _just knew_. Moving to the DMV computer, he pulled up the driver's license records for each of the four victims and found that two of them were licensed drivers in Texas for the same four year period.

Seth was now bouncing his knee as he dug into other records for each of the men murdered. Two were born in the same city. A city so small that it hardly could allow coincidence.

One of the deceased had a speeding ticket issued in the same town.

He glanced at the clock and selected a contact from his cell phone, "Hey, Sam. It's me Seth. You busy?"

In the 90s, Sam Uley was Seth's college roommate at the University of Michigan. Today, Special Agent Samuel Uley of the FBI answered Seth's call and listened as all four cases were presented.

"So, I know this isn't necessarily your field, but do you have a contact I can send this over to? It'd mean opening up some cases that are out of my state and jurisdiction."

Sam was getting ready to assure Seth that someone would look at the files if he sent them over. He wanted to make sure that he realized it was probably a dead end, but he didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings either. Damn. He figured he could always give it to that hot little rookie that just graduated. What was her name again...?

But then he looked out of the window of his office as the bane of his existence sauntered through the secretaries maze of desks and into the Deputy Director's Office - _carrying golf clubs over his shoulder no less_.

"You know. I think I just might have the guy," he answered. "Overnight me everything you have and I'll see if Agent Masen can take it on."

Seth let out a breath of relief, "Thanks, Sam. I owe ya one. And, hey, if I'm right? He has less than a month before this guy strikes again."


	2. Chapter 2

**May 10, 2012**

_It truly does rain a lot in Washington_, Special Agent Edward Masen thought as he finished placing his files on the table in his hotel room at the Forks Inn.

Three days ago, he was given the "Forks files" by that asshat Sam Uley, and Edward took them with determination. He loved his job. He was good at his job. He couldn't wait to shove another hard-to-close case right back at Uley's smug face as 'solved'.

Emily Blackfoot was a rookie at the D.C. offices and she was assigned as Edward's partner. Together, they combed the histories of each victim: Benjamin Cheney, Michael Newton, Jasper Whitlock, and Emmett McCarty.

Emily had drawn four lines across the dry erase board in Edward's office. On each she hashed off June ninth starting with the 2011 murder of Emmett and working backwards.

After much research in to school records, credit card statements, parents, siblings, and all manner of personal interests; she finally found a spot on each of the four timelines where they intersected. June of 2001 found all four men in Forks, Washington. She could not only place them in the town at the same time; no, Emily was able to prove that all four men were admitted in to the emergency room of Forks hospital on June 9, 2001. And, all four men were treated by attending physician, Dr. Carlisle Cullen - uncle to the third victim, Jasper Whitlock.

So, Edward packed his bags and caught a flight to SeaTac where he rented a car and drove nearly four hours - in the rain - to this god forsaken town.

Kicking off his shoes, Edward leaned back on the badly upholstered couch in his room and called Emily. "I'm here and I meet with Dr. Cullen first thing in the morning."

He stretched out his legs and yawned into the phone. "Go ahead and email me the list of reported incidents for this area during that summer, and anything else you've dug up."

After agreeing to talk tomorrow, he disconnected his call and flipped through the fast food menus that the front desk girl had given him. There was nothing else he could really do right now. Not until he spoke to the doctor and could figure out what in the hell happened here.

~*~*~*~ Carpe Aestatem~*~*~*~

"What can I do for you, Agent Masen?"

Chief of Staff, Carlisle Cullen, reminded Edward of a politician. Edward hated politicians. They smiled too much and they always seemed like they wanted to help. The smiles were rarely real and their "help" rarely aided the right people.

"Normally, I wouldn't expect you to remember cases off the top of your head, Dr. Cullen, but seeing how one of them was your nephew -" Edward trailed off, tactfully giving the doctor a moment to let the news that he was here to follow up on his murdered nephew's case sink in.

Carlisle Cullen crossed his hands over his chest, closed his eyes for a moment, and went back to that summer. "My nephew, Jasper, and his college roommate, Emmett, went to school in Texas. I remember they did some camping and hiking over in Hoh while they were here. But, I'm not sure what that has to do with a visit to the E.R.?"

Edward turned a few pages in his notepad, "Did you know that Emmett McCarty was murdered last year?"

"Yes. My wife and I were shocked when she got the e-mail from his mother. She always did keep in touch after that summer." Carlisle stood from his chair and moved to look out the window of his office.

"Did you also realize that two boys from this town were murdered as well? One in Seattle, a Benjamin Cheney. And another in Los Angeles, uh, Michael Newton?"

Carlisle turned to face Edward, "Yes, we heard about their deaths here. We're a very close community. Are you saying there is some sort of connection that you are investigating?" He moved back to his desk and leaned up against it. "What can I tell you?"

"Well, you can tell me about that night that all four were here under your care in the E.R."

Carlisle pressed a button on his phone and asked his secretary to bring the medical files for each of the four men. He remembered the night for more than just his nephew's visit. A _lot _had happened that night and he had never been so busy. At least not since his last rotation in as a student.

Dr. Cullen flipped through each of the four files on his desk. They weren't very thick. Two of the men had never been to Forks Hospital before or after that date, and the other two had only been in once or twice - not the type to need medical services often in their youth.

"That night, I remember Jasper and Emmett said they were in a car accident. Both of them had minor cuts. Emmett had a sprained wrist. Mike and Ben were in the other car with Jake. I treated all five boys and sat them down to give them a good ol' lecture, but -"

"Jake? Who is that?"

"Jacob Black. Local boy, lives down on the reservation. Jasper and Emmett said they were driving back from Port Angeles and the other boys were in a car trying to pass them. But, I guess a truck was coming in the other lane without its lights on and forced their car back, clipping Emmett's jeep."

Edward sat forward, "So then what happened?"

"That's it. I was going to lecture them and tell them we needed to give the sheriff a call to report the car accident, but Nurse Cope ran in telling me that the ambulance was on its way. Things got hectic after that."

Edward considered the location. Forks and hectic didn't seem like two words to be used in a sentence together very often. "Let me guess, the driver of the truck?"

Carlisle let out a deep sigh, "No. Actually it was the sheriff, Charlie Swan, and his teenage daughter. He had been shot." Carlisle shook his head now. "Bullet to the head. So, yeah, things got hectic. I remember this place crawling with state troopers and that poor girl so in shock she couldn't speak to anyone."

Edward scribbled in his notepad. He wanted to call Emily and get her to start pulling everything on Swan. "So, what happened to Swan's daughter?"

"Bella? Oh, her mother flew in from Arizona and took her home. She was only visiting her dad for the summer, like she did every year." Carlisle chuckled. "Now, her, I have a file on. Probably about three inches thick. I don't think she went more than a month without falling down stairs or outside. Hell, even kitchen injuries." He took a deep breath, "Actually, if you hang around, you're bound to see her." He laughed again, "She moved back to town about a week ago and took over her dad's house. I reckon, with her track record, she ought to be due for a visit to the E.R. any day now."

Edward wrote Bella's name down and circled it, then he stood up to leave, "One more thing? This Jake guy? He still live around here?"

Carlisle nodded, "Yeah, Jake's still down on the Quileute reservation."

Carlisle rubbed his neck as Edward stood up to leave. "You know, Special Agent? I'm not proud of this, but if it will help the case -" he trailed off.

Edward stepped closer and failed to contain the look of curiosity on his face.

"It got real busy that night and I didn't see the results of the blood alcohol or drug tests we ran until a day or two later." Carlisle looked Edward in the eye. "All five of those boys tested positive for opiates and more than one of them was drunk and underage."

Edward put his notepad in his suit pocket, "That's not going to show up in any records is it?"

Carlisle ran his hand through his graying hair. "Like I said, it got real hectic that night."


	3. Chapter 3

Twisting the cap off the tank, Edward stuck the nozzle in and pressed the trigger after selecting 'unleaded'. In the next lane, a cute girl with long brown hair eyed him over her shoulder. He smiled at her. It felt good that women younger than him still checked him out. Who was that character on TV? The one that was always saying, _I still got it_.

She turned around and leaned against her truck. She continued to obviously look him over. Her smile grew as her perusal made its way to his expensive leather shoes and then shot to his hands.

Feeling emboldened, Edward waited until her eyes met his and then returned the blatant ogle with one of his own. The girl blushed and stood up straighter.

"Nice suit," she said with a nod his way.

Nice suit? He guessed that as far as gas station one-liners go, that's about as good as they get.

She bit her lip before smiling again. "You're not from around here, are you?" Her eyes lit up with laughter as she spoke and then she turned to remove the nozzle from her tank and replace the gas cap.

"What gave it away?" he teased, playing along with her bad pick-up line.

She only continued to smile in response, so he kept talking. "Nah, I'm just here on business." He removed the nozzle from the tank and went on, still speaking while he faced away from her, "Probably'll just be here a couple of weeks."

He waited a beat, "Would you know of some place good to grab some dinner?"

He turned around but she was already back in her truck, the door slammed and the engine started - loudly. He ran his hand through his hair. Shit! She hadn't even heard him. He moved to the driver's side of his rental and looked at the young woman again as he opened his door.

She rolled her window down and gave him a smile full of teeth, "There's a good Chinese place right on Forks Ave and A St."

He felt relief and looked down at his watch then back up to see a moment of insecurity flash in her eyes. "How about six thirty?"

She nodded, winked and drove away.

~*~*~*~ Carpe Aestatem ~*~*~*~

Edward pulled his badge from his inside breast pocket. Opening the screen door, he knocked three times and then stood back, easing the screen closed to prevent it from slamming.

Emily wasn't able to find much in the system on Isabella Swan. She was twenty-six years old. She had attended college at Arizona State University. She had no traffic violations. Her address, prior to moving back to Forks, was her mother's home in Phoenix and she had no work history - not even a part time job during school.

Emily guessed that she was getting by on the money from insurance.

Her father's shooting was ruled as an accident while cleaning his weapon. The reports stated that he and his daughter were at the Swan cabin near the lake. An anonymous 911 call came in from someone who said they were camping nearby and heard the gunshot.

The area strictly prohibited hunting and the rangers on duty said that they recognized the vicinity and responded immediately, knowing that the sheriff had a place up there.

The door to 775 K Street opened and Edward was met with wide eyes. The young woman from the gas station stood before him. He gulped and tried to cover it with a chuckle, "Isabella Swan? I'm Special Agent Masen, with the FBI. I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment?"

She pushed open the screen and invited him in. He looked around the living space, noting that the home seemed to be warm and well set up for someone who only moved back a week ago. Two suitcases sat near the door.

She turned around and walked backwards as he followed her to the kitchen, "You know, I wouldn't have stood you up. You really couldn't wait until six thirty?" she teased.

Edward grinned and lifted up his chin at the bottle of water she pulled from the fridge. "Actually, I'm here on business. I'm working an ongoing investigation and Dr. Cullen mentioned you had just moved back in to town?"

She nodded her assent so he continued, "I was wondering if I could talk to you about your last summer here, Isabella?"

Edward watched her face as she closed her eyes and held her breath. He didn't want to upset her, but he was hoping she had saw or overheard something the night the four victims were at Forks hospital or maybe even around town in general.

Isabella faced him, "So, no to Chinese, huh?" She sat at her kitchen table, offering him a seat. "And, please, call me Bella."

He looked around, deciding to change the subject and allow her some time to let his presence sink in. Experience taught him, and he was sure, that his request to dig into her past threw her for a loop. "You unpack pretty quickly. I had boxes all over my house for weeks when I moved in."

Bella looked around her own kitchen, "No, I'm the same. But, I came up here about a month ago and started unpacking before I went on vacation."

Edward remembered the suitcases by the door. "Oh, when are you leaving?"

She leaned forward. "Actually, I just got back. My girlfriends from college and I get together every year to catch up."

"Do you mind if I ask what it is that you do?"

"Not at all," she blushed and ran her fingers over a stack of papers on the table. "I'd say I'm a writer, but I've yet to get anything published. I was hoping that by moving back here I'd - I don't know. I guess, I was hoping that a change would do me good." She finished with a shrug.

"Your mom's ok with you living here?"

Bella laughed a little at that. "My mom moved to Florida about five years ago with her husband. I was living in her place down south, but I think she's actually selling it now."

She gave Edward a pointed look, "You probably already knew that, eh, Mr. FBI?"

She spun the cap to her water bottle and then slapped it under her palm. "So, what is it that I can help you with?"

Edward shifted in his chair, "I want to ask you about that night at the hospital. Do you recall seeing any men, about college age? One was Dr. Cullen's nephew and his friend. They were with a few local boys from town, that you might know? They would have had small injuries, but were there, in the hospital the night your dad was brought in."

She tilted her head to the side and looked passed Edward's shoulder, losing herself in memories, or lack thereof, he suspected. "Dr. Cullen has told me that I was in shock and that I blocked that night from my memory."

She focused her eyes back on Edward's, "They say that I didn't speak to anyone for a couple of weeks."

Before Edward could ask another question there was a loud knock. Bella excused herself and he stood up following behind her. As she answered the door, he looked at the photos on the wall that was nearest him. He squinted and moved in to look closer at a young Bella grimacing as her father held up a large fish.

Raised voices at the door caught his attention.

"I'm just not comfortable with you coming over without calling first, Jake."

Edward's ears perked and he moved to stand behind Bella stopping the man in the middle of him telling her that her dad would have wanted… something.

"Jake? As in Jacob Black?" Edward asked.

The man before him was huge. He really should have read the file that Emily sent before the one on Bella Swan. But he had to meet with the reservation police before he could get on the Quileute land, so that attachment took a back seat.

"Who the hell wants to know?" he asked from the porch before moving his eyes back to Bella.

Jacob reached for the handle on the screen door, "Are you OK, Bella?"

Edward put his hand on his hip where his gun was holstered. This guy was about thirty years old, but acting like a total possessive, childish, asshole prick. An incredibly large and obviously very much in-shape, asshole prick.

Before Edward could have the pleasure of smugly answering, Bella spoke up while pulling the handle on the door to suspend it from opening, "He's with the FBI, Jake."

Jake's forehead crinkled, "What does he want with you?"

"Look, Mr. Black, it's actually fortunate that you're here. I was wondering if I could set up a time to ask you some questions."

Jake looked at Bella and she finally pushed open the screen door to invite him in. He took a step back though and told Edward that he'd prefer it if they talked on the _reservation_.

Edward nodded, relieved to have the invitation and not have to go through the local res PD. Jake gave him the address, promising to be there in the morning.

The two men stared, unmoving. Both waiting for the other to leave first. Finally Bella spoke up, "Well, Agent Masen? Was there anything else?"

He shook his head once and moved to leave but stopped and turned so that he was facing Bella, his back to Jake. "Six thirty?" he asked quietly.

She nodded yes.

As he walked down the driveway, he heard Bella ask Jake to leave, reminding him not to return without calling first. Edward sat in his car and waited to pull away until the huge man folded himself into a small Volkswagen and finally drove off.

~*~*~*~ Carpe Aestatem ~*~*~*~

Edward spent the remainder of the afternoon going over everything that Emily had sent him on Jacob Black. When he got to the restaurant, Bella was sitting in a back booth waiting for him.

"I'm really sorry about Jake," she told him as he slid in opposite her. "His dad and my dad were best friends, and he got stuck watching me a lot when we were little kids. I spent every summer up here, except for the year I turned thirteen, and the Black's were always like family."

Edward opened his menu and then looked back up at Bella. "Why not the year you turned thirteen?"

Bella blushed, "Um, that was the first time I," she stopped and waved her hands over the table. "Anyway, I was not looking forward to spending the summer with my dad and having to ask him to buy me _girl stuff _from the store."

"Ah. Gotch-ya." Quickly changing the topic, "So, what's good here?"

After their meal, Edward teased Bella when her habit of speaking with her hands caused her empty cup to fly off the table. "Dr. Cullen mentioned you were clumsy," he said with a grin.

Bella turned and apologized to the waitress that was taking an order at the table near theirs. She pushed her empty plate back and then rested her elbows on the table, "Would you like to come back to my place for coffee?"

Edward stared across the table, meeting her eyes. _Fuck_, he thought to himself.

The Clash's hit, _"Should I Stay, or Should I Go" _ran through his mind.

_She's only twenty-six_. He continued his inner-struggle as she looked away and waved for the check.

_Yeah, well, you're _only _thirty-five_, he goaded himself while getting out his credit card.

_Her name came up while working a case_, he thought while stopped at the red light.

_But, she was just a kid then and it really has no relevance now._ He convinced himself while parking in the same spot as earlier that day.

_She is really cute_, he thought when she stopped on the steps to her house to wait for him to cross the driveway.

_It's just coffee_, he convinced himself as he closed and locked the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Edward sat his venti coffee in the cup holder between his seats and then set the GPS for the Black's address. Last night, before he left her house, Bella had offered to ride along with Edward and keep him company during the drive, but he declined - wanting to keep business and pleasure separate. And last night had been pleasurable.

Even if they only talked and briefly kissed before he left.

Emily had called once during the evening to let Edward know she was sending over some more info she came across. Something about a Facebook page she found. This led to a conversation with Bella about her book that she had been trying to write. A story about a young woman who is tired of the dating scene in a world of online social networks, so she gives up her computer and her cell phone for a full year in the hopes of meeting _The One_.

Edward took a minute to regroup when he pulled in front of the Black's house. He pulled a fresh notepad out of the bag on the passenger seat and made his way up to the front door. Jacob Black opened the door before Edward could knock.

"Mr. Black," Edward said offering his hand and introducing himself again. "I'm Special Agent Masen with the FBI."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Just what are you investigating?" Jacob shook his hand and turned back inside. He didn't invite Edward in, but it was implied since the door was left open.

"Actually, some friends of yours have died over the years and I'm wondering if I could get some answers from you." Best to be direct, he figured.

A man in a wheel chair entered the room and swerved around the coffee table. "Yeah, that's my dad, Billy." Jake said as he pointed between the two men. "Dad, this is Agent Masen of the FBI."

Billy looked him over and then politely invited him to leave. Edward started to protest but another man entered from the back and identified himself as a tribal officer and announced he was there to escort the agent off of the reservation.

He was confused and looked to Jacob for answers, but the guy only hung his head and then disappeared down a hallway.

Edward was mad and confused as he left, slamming his car door and pulling out his cell to call Emily. He needed her to find a way to get him back on that property. He needed to talk to Jacob Black and he didn't think he'd be kind enough to just stop by the hotel for tea.

~*~*~*~ Carpe Aestatem ~*~*~*~

Two whole fucking weeks. Two.

Edward looked around his hotel room and tried to see the missing pieces. It wasn't adding up. Five men in a car accident. A seven year gap. Then they start dying one by one. Not in any particular order. All of them had Benzodiazepine in their systems. All of them were shot in the head with a Smith & Wesson .357 SIG. Mostly used by law enforcement and military, but also for sale to the public. Well, the muscled public, that gun packs a kick and is not easy to handle.

A Facebook page that leads to dead ends. A throw-away email address. Some fibers at one scene. A shoe print at another. A missing laptop. The hospital in Forks.

Edward pushed the stack of folders to the other side of the table and went to shower. He was going to meet Bella and didn't want to be late.

The best part of the last two weeks was getting to know Bella. At first he agreed to dinner with her again because he hoped Jacob Black might show up. Edward was dying for a way to catch him off of the reservation.

Then he spent that whole meal asking her questions about the Blacks. She got so mad that she just up and left him sitting at the diner alone.

He thought he'd give her some time to cool off and then drive over to apologize, but when he pulled in front of her house, Jacob was driving away.

Bella then proceeded to send Edward away as well.

He threw himself back in to the case details and even had Emily come out for two days to try and get a meeting with the Quileute leaders. No luck.

Two days ago Bella invited him over for dinner…

…and he stayed for breakfast.

As Edward locked his hotel room and rounded the corner, a man called out to him. "Special Agent Masen?"

He turned with his hand on his hip and realized he left his gun locked up in the safe of his room. Cautiously, he approached the man.

"I'm Quil Atera, attorney for the Quileute tribe, including the Black's."

Edward nodded and the man went on, "My client would like it if you followed me right now out to his home."

"You go on ahead. Give me ten minutes and I'll be right behind you."

The lawyer left and Edward ran back to his room. He called Bella and cancelled. He called Emily and filled her in. Then he grabbed his gun and badge.

Thirty five minutes later he sat in front of the Black home again. The lawyer was leaning against the frame of the opened front door.

Billy Black waved him in and he jogged to get inside with the others. Edward took a seat when Billy pointed to the couch. He was debating on whether or not to ask to talk to Jacob in private when the elder Black spoke, "You need to tell him what you know, son."

At that Edward couldn't help but cock an eyebrow. Jacob leaned against the wall by the front door. He reached an arm around, scratching at his own back, and stared at his attorney.

Edward cleared his throat, "Let's start with what I know. You were at the hospital the night of June 9th in 2001, after being in a automobile accident…"

Edward watched as Jake wiped his hands on his jeans. He looked at his dad and then back at Edward. "Not exactly." Patiently, Edward waited for him to continue.

He didn't.

"So, why exactly did you and Ben Cheney, Mike Newton, Jasper Whitlock, and Emmett McCarty go to the hospital?"

Jake finally sat down in an old brown recliner and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He clasped his hands in front of him, tangling his fingers together violently. "We were hurt. Cut up pretty bad and had some bones that we thought were broke. But we weren't in a car accident."

Edward sat back further on the couch and looked from Jacob to his dad, and then Quil Atera. Finally, Jake continued with his story.

"That night… no, wait. A few nights before that, I was hanging out at La Push. A guy I knew had some drugs for sale. Mostly, coke - a little weed - but I figured I could buy it off him, or steal it, and resell it. Make some money.

"Anyway, Newton and Cheney showed up and ended up buying most of the stuff the guy had on him. They said some guys were in town visiting and wanted to score some stuff to party." Jake shrugged and ran his calloused thumb roughly across his palm.

"James said he could get more and he'd meet us in a couple of days. Mike and Ben decided we'd start a fire there at the beach and then call up everyone from town and just hang out.

"Jasper and Emmett showed up and they were cool, so we just, I don't know, we hung out and met some girls. Whatever."

Jake stopped to take a few breaths and Edward looked up from his notepad. He eyed Quil Atera, who sat silently on a kitchen chair he had pulled in to the room. "Who is James?" Edward asked.

"James Thompson. He graduated from Forks High that year and said he got all his stuff from some dude he knew in Olympia or something. He always came around pretty beat up. His dad had been busted for drugs a few times, so we all just figured he was stealing shit from his pops and then takin' the hits."

Edward continued to write as he asked his next question, "And where is James now?"

Jake shrugged, "Last I heard he went and joined the service or something. Who knows. He just disappeared."

"So then what happened?" Edward asked.

"Well, a few nights later, James shows up and it's raining and crap outside. We were all sitting in Emmett's jeep waiting for him. So, James jumped out of his car and climbed in the jeep and told Emmett to drive around. James couldn't see shit in the jeep so he told Emmett to go somewhere, like one of our houses, but there were people home at all of our places. After a few minutes, I remembered the cabin about forty-five minutes away. It's near the lake where my dad and his best friend went fishing all the time."

Edward cut in again, "Charles Swan?"

Billy Black rolled his chair out of the room and Edward watched as he made his way down the hall and disappeared in to the back. Jake dropped his head between his hands.

"I broke down and told my dad this story last year after we heard about Emmett McCarty," Jake said and when he looked up his eyes were red. "So, yeah, we drove out to the cabin. James opened his stash and we all did a snort or two, or three on the way. Emmett parked his jeep and we started taking the trail that led back to it, but as we got closer, I noticed a light was on. I told everyone that we should probably go.

"I mean, the rain had stopped and it was pretty warm out. But James said we should check because maybe nobody was there. There weren't any other cars around or anything. Jasper was telling some story about a camping trip he and Emmett planned and were asking if we wanted to go. And, I remember thinking, these guys are cool. I was so worried I was going to spend the summer bored and alone out at the reservation, taking care of my dad."

Jake stopped and tried to hold back a sob without much luck. He scrubbed his hands over his face. "Shit."

The three men sat in silence before Jake went on. "We get to the cabin and look through all the windows but we didn't see anything. So, I go ahead and open up the door. I thought afterwards that I should have realized someone was there. I mean, the door was unlocked, but by that time I was pretty high. We all were.

"We went straight to the kitchen and James started pulling all of his stash out of his pants and throwing it on the table. It got really quiet and I looked up and saw Charlie standing in the back doorway. His arms were full of logs for the fireplace. He looked at each of us and then the table. Next thing I know, he drops all of the logs and tries to run passed us. We just froze. Finally, James goes hauling ass after him back into the front room of the cabin. Emmett pulled his keys out and was getting ready to book it out of there, but James comes back in walking behind Charlie and holding his service revolver.

"James walked to the back door and stood on the porch pointing the gun at all of us, standing in the kitchen. Charlie was begging me to use my head. I was so high. All I could think was that I had never seen tough Charlie Swan beg. Ever. Then Ben started trippin' out, yelling about how fucked up everything was. He started grabbing the drugs and went to leave out the front door, and we all followed him.

"But just as he got the front door open, we heard the shot, and then we really freaked the fuck out. Finally, Jasper shoved Ben and yelled for us to run. Ben got about one foot out the door before James showed up in front of the house. He started waving the gun around and arguing with Ben.

"Emmett was pissed off and screaming, but James' eyes got wild and he started talking about his dad and arrests and shit. He wanted us to get all the wood together and start a fire. Right there on the fucking porch. Then he really lost it. He ran out to look for more wood, and that's when Jasper and Emmett hauled ass.

"They took off, but totally missed the trail back to where we had parked. Ben, Mike and I ran down the right trail and were standing around waiting for them at the jeep for about twenty minutes. We heard another gun shot and then we just ran, headed toward the road. About half way to the highway, Jasper and Emmett pulled up. They said that James had chased them and they had to fight him to get away. They said they had kicked his ass. We didn't ask about the gunshot, and they didn't tell us.

"Jasper was driving because Emmett was in pain. I, honestly, thought he was the one shot, but I kept my mouth shut. A cop car drove by and Newton lost it, he started yelling at Jasper to pull over. Of course, there was no way Jasper was stopping, so Mike started throwing punches and Jasper lost control. We went off the road, but it wasn't too bad. Not until all the doors opened at the same time and everyone jumped out and just started fighting each other.

"Emmett pretty much kicked everyone's ass and left us on the side of the road. So we started walking again. My head was bleeding and Ben had some nasty gashes, too. Emmett drove back about ten minutes later, having cooled down, and that's when we decided to go pick up another car and go to the hospital.

"We came up with our story and decided that if James showed up it'd be us four against him. Mike called 911 and reported the shooting, while we followed Emmett to the hospital.

"We heard the ambulance come in with Charlie. We hid out in one of the rooms for a bit and then cut out there." Jake took a deep breath and let out a burst of air.

"James never did show up." He said as he shook his head then fisted his hands. "I never saw him again, heard he joined the Army."

Edward waited, stunned. Shit, did he leave his cuffs in the trunk? Did this kid seriously just confess to being there when Swan got shot? It wasn't accidental.

Shit still did not add up.

Before Edward could speak, Quil stood up, "So, Jake is going to turn himself in here to the reservation squad. We'll do that sometime within the next twenty-four hours."

Edward turned back to face Jake, "What about your friends?"

Jake blinked and shook his head. "I d-don't know. I don't _know_ _anything_ about them." He started sobbing.

Billy Black returned from the back room with two more men. "You can go now. We'll take Jacob down to the station in the morning. We're going to do some tribal business tonight."

Edward stood to walk to the door. He stopped and turned back to Jacob, "Didn't you see Bella? That night? Out in the woods?"

Jake tried to stand but fell to his knees. "No." He leaned over and punched the floor. "No! It wasn't until a few days later when my dad told me. I always assumed someone brought her there from the house. The only thing I want is to protect her from all of this."

Edward took one last look at Jacob and then pulled out his cell. "Emily, I need everything you can find on James Thompson. You are not going to believe the shit storm I just walked into."


	5. Chapter 5

Monday, June 4, 2012

Edward stood in front of Sam Uley's desk back at the Bureau in DC, trying to keep his posture non-defensive. He needed a favor and Sam had the connections to help him out.

The Friday before, Jacob Black was arraigned in Port Angeles. The defense attorney was hoping for criminally negligent homicide, but because the case involved a police officer, the district attorney filed charges of involuntary manslaughter, which could carry a much heftier sentence. The two went back and forth on the distinction but the DA stood firm in her refusal to plea down.

Due to having no prior arrests or warrants, his ties to the community, and one hell of a lawyer in Quil Atera; the judge ruled in favor for release on bond. The one saving grace, Edward thought, was that the bail was set at $500,000 - too steep for the Black's to meet - and luckily not the minimum of $60,000.

So, with Jacob behind bars, Edward packed up and headed back to DC to try and move along the search for James Thompson. Emily had found enough information to know that James enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2001, but tracking his location at present was causing some snags.

For one, James was a highly decorated officer and the corps wanted to know more about the reasons for the FBI's interest before divulging where he was currently stationed.

And secondly, James had saved a superior's life during the war in Iraq, and that superior was now stationed at the Pentagon; giving Edward and Emily quite the heap of bureaucratic red tape to wade through.

Hence, Edward standing in front of Sam's desk. Sam, who just so happened to have a son who played ball with the son of someone in the Office of Counsel for the Commandant of the Marine Corps. _It's all about who you know_, Edward thought.

The men were interrupted by Emily, who brought bad news. "I don't know how they did it, but the Black's posted bail about an hour ago. Jacob is being released as we speak."

Edward turned to Sam, but he waved him off, "Go on, Masen. I'll make some calls."

Jogging back to his office with Emily following, his main concern now was to get back to Forks. He didn't like leaving Bella out in the open with Jacob free. Whether or not he was guilty of murder, Jake would be an emotional basket case and Edward was pretty sure he would head straight for her.

"Emily, I need you to pull pictures of Jacob Black and James Thompson and get them to that officer in Detroit. I want him to make a photo array and get the last victim's girlfriend, uh,"

Emily jumped in, "Hale. Rosalie Hale. Girlfriend to Emmett McCarty."

"Yes, Hale. Get Clearwater in Detroit to put together that photo array and see if he gets any hits. She worked in a bar there. Maybe she'll be able to ID one of them." He propelled around his desk, grabbing files and shoving them in to his bag. "Hell, send them to the lead officers in Dallas, LA, and Seattle as well."

Emily moved to the copier machine and pulled off the printed boarding pass. "Nonstop out of National at 5:40 p.m." She handed him the paper, "Now go. I'll make your car reservation."

~*~*~*~ Carpe Aestatem ~*~*~*~

The drive between Seattle and Forks went slowly. It seemed Edward had timed his arrival perfectly with another rainstorm. Bella had called him about an hour into his drive and convinced him to switch to his headset so they could talk while he drove.

She told him that she had heard from Jacob a few hours ago and he was a wreck. Sobbing in to the phone and apologizing for his part in her father's death. She said that he kept telling her that he was going to _make everything better_.

Bella was mostly conveying her anger at Edward for not telling her about what was going on with the case. In the end, she said that she understood he couldn't say anything, but she still would have rather it came from him before getting a call from Jacob.

Edward winced, he was torn. Over the last couple of weeks they had spent a number of evenings together and he could see her distress as the anniversary of her father's death drew closer. He felt protective of her and it was more than the case.

Bella was, in a word, perfect - in his opinion.

Physically, Edward's attraction to her was without doubt. She was attractive and confident. His last relationship became tiring because Tanya Romanov continually bothered him with questions about her appearance. He was constantly having to reassure her of her looks, and she always asked him in audience of others. The public headache was tiresome.

Isabella didn't worry, nor ask him, about how she looked. Even in the bedroom. She not only spoke up, but also asked questions about what he liked. He shivered as he remembered the first night she invited him to her bed. _Her responses. Her taste. Her fucking enthusiasm. _

Not to mention how great she fitted him as they lay together.

Mentally, their interactions were entertaining and she had the uncanny ability to get him to open up to her. They shared interests and she neither dominated nor withdrew from their conversations.

Emotionally, he wasn't going to lie, she had a few walls that she kept in place, but this only added to the fierce need he felt to protect her. It was so much more than the job. He _wanted _her.

Bella's voice quieted on the phone. He prompted her to continue and after a few moments of listening to her breath, she told him that as the anniversary date snuck up on her, she tended to let guilt depress her and hated to admit that she succumbed to bouts of general anxiety disorder. Bella was struggling with the guilt she was feeling. Guilt because she couldn't remember that night or the ten days following it. Guilt waking up in a different state and a doctor explaining that her father was gone.

Edward was pulling off of Main Street and turning on to Bella's road when he received a text from Emily to call him ASAP. He told Bella he'd be in shortly and then sat in his car as his call to Emily connected.

"Edward? Jacob Black has disappeared."

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><p><strong>AN:** For those who asked. This fic will be (if all goes according to outline) ~10 chapters. Thank you again to katinki (who assured me I was not a total idjit) and the Fictionators site, too. I am fully aware that no one would be reading this if it weren't for her tweets and the Fictionators site.


	6. Chapter 6

Friday, June 8, 2012

Edward sat in his rental car, parked slightly off of the main road that led on to the Quileute lands. _Technically_, Jacob Black could disappear in to the vast woods of the Olympic Northwest. There wasn't a law against it. As long as he showed up for his court dates - and didn't leave the country - then he was legally fine.

Another car drove by and Edward pulled his binoculars to take a peek at the passengers sitting in a brown Chevy Impala. Two teens. No Jake. He returned to the conversation he was having with Emily on speaker phone.

"So, no other calls to or from his cell phone? Just the three to the Swan residence, and one to his dad."

"Yep. But with the mountains and your location, I'm guessing phone service is iffy at best most days."

"We haven't had any problems," Edward pointed out. "Tell me, where are we with the photo array for Detroit?"

"Nothing yet. I spoke to Seth Clearwater and he's trying to track down the Hale woman. Seems like she moved to Chicago with a Royce King, but he hasn't seen her in over six months."

"What about the other cases?"

"Eh, still waiting to hear back from them."

Another vehicle approached and Edward, again, pulled his binoculars up. This time he spoke aloud to Emily, "Blue Ford Taurus. One female. Blonde hair. License plate: tango, whiskey, India, one, zero, seven. Washington state."

He waited while Emily ran the plate. "Vehicle registered to a Lauren Crowley, nee Mallory."

Edward recorded the information in to his notebook. "And where are we with Sam?"

Emily coughed, "What?"

"Sam? He's supposed to be getting us access to James." Edward rolled his eyes and doodled on a sheet of his notebook.

"Yeah. Yeah. Um, Chief Warrant Officer, James Thompson, of the United States Marine Corp. Pay grade W2. Technical weapons specialist, currently stationed with the Anti-Terrorism Battalion," at that Emily snorted before continuing, "Fourth Marine Division in New Orleans.

"Sam has offered for one of us to go down there to interview Thompson, but the reply from his C.O. is that he's currently _'unreachable and out of contact range'_. However, the Marine Corp will _'make him available' _and have him report to the Office of the Commandant at the Pentagon, here in DC, as soon as he is debriefed from his mission."

Edward sighed, "So, we wait."

A motorcycle approached. Helmeted male. "I have a motorcycle. I can't tell the make or model. License plate…"

Edward threw the binoculars on the floor of the car. "Fuck! I can't make out the plate."

"Do you think it was Black?" Emily asked.

"I don't know. He didn't look _big _enough." Edward let out a hard breath and looked at his watch. "Go ahead and call your new buddy at the res PD and see if she'll send someone to do a check at the Black house. I'm going to call it a day."

Emily snickered over the line, "Tell Bella I said, _'Hi.'_"

~*~*~*~ Carpe Aestatem ~*~*~*~

Bella stood behind the couch and reached over Edward's shoulder to fill his glass of wine. He thanked her as she rested her hand on his shoulder and bent over to kiss his cheek.

"You look tired."

He nodded, feeling the last few days catching up with him. "Not _too _tired though." He smirked.

Edward still had not spoken to Bella about much of the case. She respected his position and instead they discussed only the aspect of what she learned from Jake's phone calls.

He had phoned her three times since his release and the last two she had tried to keep him talking long enough to trace the calls, but failed. She put away the wine, and joined Edward on the couch.

"Did I ever tell you that I have dreams sometimes?"

Edward turned, bending his knee and situating himself to face her on the couch. One arm thrown over the back of it. He shook his head while taking a gulp of wine.

"I'll be in the cabin and my dad will be apologizing for dragging me out to fish because we got caught in a storm and I ended up getting sick. I don't know if it's just a dream or a flash, like of a real memory."

Edward moved his hand forward and gently grabbed a hold of Bella's neck. He pulled her forward and kissed her forehead.

"Sometimes, he'll say, 'Go put on a sweatshirt and your thermals, I'll go get some wood to start a fire. We'll have-' but before he can finish his sentence he falls and I just see his eyes open, staring at me, while blood covers the floor. I wake up crying and can't go back to sleep."

He pulled her over in to his lap. "Shh. S'ok."

"I haven't had that dream since you've been here." Bella looked up and ran her fingertips over his forehead, temple, and cheek. "You make me feel safe."

They embraced and then Bella stood. Bending over to pick up his glass of wine, he followed her to the bedroom.

~*~*~*~ Carpe Aestatem ~*~*~*~

The _'marimba' _ring tone is not particularly nice to hear when one wakes up with a headache. Edward reached over the side of the bed to retrieve his phone from his jeans. Rubbing his eyes and then the back of his neck, he groaned and held his head.

"Masen."

"Hey, Edward, it's Emily."

Edward looked over at the clock on Bella's nightstand. 7:17 a.m. He started to whisper in to the phone, but noticed Bella was not in bed. Clearing his throat, he spoke, "What's up, Em?"

"Time to roll. Leah, down at the res police department just called me. They found Black."

Edward shot up and moaned in pain again. He grabbed his jeans and made his way to the bathroom. "Did he go back home?" He rummaged through Bella's medicine cabinet and found some Tylenol. Silently thanking the gods and promising to lay off red wine, he popped two and then bent over to take a drink from the faucet.

"No. Edward… Jacob Black is dead."

He turned from the bathroom and heard the front door close. Walking down the hall, he saw Bella carrying two grocery bags. "What? How?"

"I guess he called his dad late last night. He sounded drunk and admitted to being at Swan's old cabin out at Wentworth Lake. His dad called some of the tribe and they headed out there. They found him. Suicide."

Edward cursed and Bella looked up at him. She started to smile, but it was quickly replaced by a frown of worry as she unpacked the grocery bags. "Everything OK?" she mouthed silently.

Emily continued, "Anyway, Leah, said she's waiting for you up at the cabin. CSI's on their way."

"Alright. Tell her I'm on my way."

Edward threw his phone on the couch and walked over to the counter that separated the kitchen from the front room. He leaned forward on his hands and peeked in to the bags.

Bella closed the refrigerator door, "So? A little early for phone calls."

"A little early for groceries," he moved to start the coffee pot.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep." She pulled two cups from the cupboard. "You know, today and all."

He looked at her and finally waking up a bit, pulled her in for a hug. June 9th. "Aw, babe. I'm so sorry."

She took a deep breath and leaned back. "Omelets or pancakes? I bought stuff for either."

"Can't. That was Emily. May be a break in the case." Edward didn't want to talk about Jacob now.

"Well, then…" Bella pulled out a bag of bagels. "I'll make you an egg and cheese bagel to go while you shower."

"Are you gonna be OK while I go do this?"

"Yeah," she kissed his cheek. I went to the cemetery before the store opened.

He kissed her. "I don't know how long I'll be."

~*~*~*~ Carpe Aestatem ~*~*~*~

Edward parked next to the police vehicles and followed the bevy of people trailing to and from the cabin. He found Leah and she introduced the CSI detective.

"Thought you might like to know, we found a box of stuff in the front room. A pair of hiking boots. A laptop. A cell phone and a few other items. We're sending them off to the lab in Seattle."

Edward walked in to the kitchen and saw Jacob Black slumped over the kitchen table, eerily similar to the crime photos in Charlie Swan's file. A .357 lay on the floor in a pool of blood.

"So, guess you can close your cold files?"

Edward nodded but continued to walk around the cabin. It looked like his suspicions were correct. He wasn't ready to close any cases yet, though.

"You gonna head on back to DC now?" Leah asked.

"Not yet. I think I'll wait around for the coroner's report."

He turned to the CSI team. "Get everything," he urged. "I want every square inch photographed."


	7. Chapter 7

Emily was not giving Edward good news.

The coroner had ruled Jacob Black's death suicide and Sam was closing the four open cases. To top it all off, the lawyer from the Pentagon had gotten wind and told Sam that there was no need for them to meet with James now.

"We still have Jacob's testimony and his statements to the DA."

"Sorry, Edward, there is no proof that James was at the cabin. Without any living witnesses, Sam thinks we need to shut it down. That's his final word."

"What about the Detroit team? Did they find the Hale woman?"

A loud noise came from the kitchen and Edward turned to see Bella's head pop up from behind the counter. "I'm all right." She stood and rubbed her backside. "Just tripped, I'm good."

Edward tried not to laugh at her. He groaned in to the phone, switching the device to his other ear as Emily told him that nothing had yet materialized from the requests she put in with the original detectives. They finished the call by Edward confirming that he would book his own return flight and see her in a few days.

Isabella joined him in the living room. "So, you're done? Time to go home?"

He sat back to take in her appearance, forgetting her question. "You look nice."

"Thanks. I'm going out to Billy Black's. They're having a thing for Jacob." She cringed at his look of disapproval. "I know, I know. But, Billy was my dad's best friend. I _need _to go."

"How can you?"

Isabella turned away from him and dug through her purse while purposely avoiding the question. "So, um, I have an interview with a publishing firm in Richmond. It's not a great job. I'd only be working in the e-book division, but I really think I'm ready to give this whole _earn my keep _thing a shot."

"But you just moved back."

"Yeah, and that worked out so well." She turned to face him again. "I can't stay here."

Edward stood and put his arms around her and smiled - big. "So, Richmond, eh? That's like two hours from where I live." He waggled his eyebrows and then bent to nip at her neck. She pushed him away and slid on her heels.

"Give me a minute and I'll go with you."

Bella shook her head. "No, I think it's best if I go alone."

"Bella."

"Edward."

He rubbed his hands over his face. Letting out a long breath, he peeked at her through his fingers. Bella took a hold of his wrists. "I won't be gone long. You need to go pack now anyway, I guess."

~*~*~*~ Carpe Aestatem ~*~*~*~

Edward stacked all of the files and rested his hand on top of the pile. He was still angry that the higher ups were shutting this whole thing down. He picked up the sheet of paper that had fallen to the floor. A speeding ticket for James Thompson from May of 2010, about a month before the murder of Michael Newton.

He stuffed it in to the file on top and glanced at the evidence report. The box found at the site of Black's death contained one Sony VAIO laptop belonging to Benjamin Cheney. The boots Jacob were wearing were size 13 and pretty warn. He was willing to bet they would match the photos from the shoe print in the dirt outside of Newton's apartment. And if not, the size alone was enough to fall under circumstantial evidence in the eyes of the DA. Seems like everyone was more than anxious to close this.

The two pills found in Jacob's pocket were benzodiazepine. Billy said they were prescribed by the doctor from the clinic on the res. He said his son suffered a severe panic attack the day he was released.

So, with all that evidence, why couldn't Edward just let it go? A part of his gut told him James was the killer. He was more worried that if James got to Jacob before he killed himself - or even set up Jacob's death to resemble Charlie's - then did James know that Bella was actually there the night her father was killed?

There was a knock on his hotel room door and he opened it to find Bella holding herself up by gripping the dilapidated wood frame. He quickly helped her in and sat with her on the couch.

"You OK?"

"I will be. I called my mom and told her everything. She's not happy with me for going today, but she was glad about the possible job and move. She really is not happy that I'm in Washington to start with. I promised her I'd come down to Florida soon. That seemed to calm her."

"Do you want to go out? Grab some dinner? Port Angeles?"

"Sure. Sounds good."

Edward got up to get ready while Bella absently toyed with the files on the table. He returned from the bathroom to find her reading through the top folder. She looked at him with wide eyes. "Who is, uh, James… Thompson?"

Edward didn't want to lie to her, but he also didn't want to tell her about James if Jake was lying. "No one. Just a name that came up in the case. He used to live here and I wanted to question him, but he's been off in the Marines all of this time."

"Oh… Ok." She shrugged and stood up. "I'm just going to splash some water on my face before we go."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This fic is only 10 chapters long, er, short. More like a fic-let.

I'm going to change things up for chaps 8-10. The first seven were in 3rd person, Edward's perspective. The rest will be in 3rd person, Bella's perspective.

Thank you again to **katinki**, _The Fictionators_, and _The Lemonade Stand _(I figured out what that is finally tehlemonadestand dot blogspot dot com, and my little ficcydo made it on to a poll over there. So go check it out. Vote for 5 of your faves. I did. And, because there were so many good fics, I forgot to vote for myself. Hee hee. What?)

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><p>Bella jerked awake. Her tee shirt was drenched from sweat and stuck to her skin. Her cheeks and hair were wet from tears escaping while she slept. The nightmare was back.<p>

Instead of trying to lay down again, she got up and walked through her dad's house looking over the boxes packed to go to Richmond.

The job interview went well. She had flown to DC with Edward and stayed at his condo for 2 nights. He even drove her down to Richmond for her interview. When they made the offer, Bella jumped on it.

After leaving DC, she flew to Sarasota and spent three days with her mother who was anxious to jump online and help her find apartments in the Richmond area.

But the nightmares didn't start back up until she was packing the Swan residence in Forks. That's when she was finally alone.

This time the dream had changed. Now there was a faceless man standing over her dad. Edward would walk in and yell, "Get down, Bella, it's James!" And she would struggle to fill in his face, but nothing - just a blank blur.

She opened up the plaid printed suitcase that was behind the door. It had to stay separate from the others. She couldn't lose it and it would not be shipped with her boxes to Richmond. On top was a manila folder and she opened it to look over the notes on James Thompson.

The first night at Edward's condo, Bella snuck in to Edward's spare bedroom cum office and made a photocopy of the sheet on James. A name she had never heard before in relation to her father or Forks.

Now she sat on the floor by her door and looked at the picture of him. She'd never seen him either. The file stated that Jacob claimed James was the one who shot her father.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the wall. She went back in her mind to June 9th, 2001, and she remembered her father leaving her to get some firewood. She was going to change and then get the supplies to make popcorn.

Bella hated being sick in the summer, but every year it was the same. The first week after her arrival in Forks, they'd head up to the cabin and she would get a cold. It's the reason he finally bought a small TV with a DVD player, to occupy her in the cabin while he fished. She could use it at the lake, and then take it back to Charlie's and keep it in her room.

After she changed, she heard what sounded like a loud thud followed by shouting. Her first thought was that some of her dad's friends from the res must have came out.

She had just opened her bedroom door when she heard her father's voice, "Jake. Don't do this." She started to walk out but something in her dad's tone made her freeze. "God damn it, Jake, _please_. **Think!** You _know _my daughter."

Someone else swore and was yelling something, but it didn't make sense, she only caught pieces of it, like: _'This is bullshit!' _And, _'You're Insane, it's the fucking sheriff.'_

There was some shuffling around and she turned the light off in her room, keeping her door cracked. She saw a few men come out of the kitchen, so she quickly backed up and looked around frantically.

That's when she heard the gunshot.

She clasped both of her hands over her mouth and held her breath, silently thinking to herself: _be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet_. She could hear more shouting and she dropped to the floor. She rolled underneath the bed, dragging a sleeping bag with her to use as cover to hide herself.

Once she had the sleeping bag perfectly aligned with the ten inches of space between the bed and floor, she held her breath and lay there, frozen in place, too afraid to move a muscle.

Even when the police showed up and assured her she was going to be OK. She would never be OK again. Who the hell tells someone they're going to be OK when there is a dead body in the next room? And not just any dead body - her father.

She continued her silence on the ride to the hospital. Blocking out the ridiculous platitudes that these strangers were offering. She needed to think about who she could go to for help. Certainly not her dad's best friend, Billy Black. Charlie was just begging said friend's son not to kill him.

She needed her mom. She needed an adult she could trust and not some backwoods hick cop. She'd seen enough scary movies to know they're always guilty of something. Besides, she needed to know who was with Jake before she opened her mouth. What if it was that new rookie cop that started last summer. Friggin' dufus.

Bella let the officer and a nurse take her behind an exam curtain. She sat there as the nurse tried to talk to her. Getting no response, she and the cop started talking about Charlie, and soon Bella was left alone in the ER.

The ER… the hospital… Dr. Cullen! She could go to him. He would help her. He'd be able to keep her safe until her mom came. She got up and walked out in to the now empty hallway. She peeked out of the glass window in one of the doors that separated the emergency room from the waiting room. She ducked so that no one would see her and continued on to Dr. Cullen's office.

As Bella got closer to his open office door, she became an unwilling participant to eavesdropping for the second time that night. It was Jake's voice that she heard now. She slid under the nurses' station and listened as Jake spoke with others named Mike and Ben. Then two different boys spoke. The one called _Mike_ even said something about Dr. Cullen being someone's uncle. She listened to bits and pieces, mostly muffled whispering as they hatched their alibis and then finally left the hospital.

Staying in her hiding spot while another nurse ran in and grabbed some items from a locked cabinet, she tried to get herself to think straight. When the coast was clear, she stood and looking down noticed the files laying out on the nurse's desk. Jacob Black was on top. She opened each of them and memorized the names of the one's that were unfamiliar. She had heard of Newton and Cheney. One's family owned the sporting goods store and the other's mom worked at the diner. Jasper Whitlock and Emmett McCarthy. Two names she did not know.

But she would never forget.

Bella banged her head on the wall to bring herself out of the memories. She stood from the floor and zipped back up her suitcase. She moved to the kitchen to get a drink of water and take a pill. She hadn't had to take one for anxiety in a long time.

As she swallowed the little white sedative, she remembered when her mother had finally got to Forks Hospital. Bella had been moved to a private room. She still had not spoken to anyone. She was scared knowing that one of the men responsible for her dad's death was related to Dr. Cullen. She felt foolish because she had almost told Dr. Cullen everything.

When Renee Swan arrived, she immediately scooped up her daughter and sat on the bed holding her as if she were still a child. Bella broke down. She cried while her mother rocked her. Then she told her mom all of it. Every last detail. When she was done, she passed out only to be awoken by Billy Black entering the room. She feigned sleeping and listened as her mother stealthily avoided Billy's inquiries and made no mention of Jake.

When they were alone again, Renee promised Bella she would protect her. She made Bella swear to never speak of it again. Renee packed up her daughter and got the hell out of Forks, Washington the very next day. The sad little town had ruined her life and now it ruined her daughter's. If it were up to Renee, they would never have anything to do with Forks or anyone here again.

Ever.


	9. Chapter 9

*Please _**watch the dates **_below. This chapter is the culmination of everything we've seen and learned so far. Only **ONE** chapter left after this.*

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><p><strong>February 20, 2006<strong>

It was a chilly fifty-five degrees outside as Bella got out of her car and walked slowly to class. She had considered not even getting out of bed today because there was no way she would complete the assignment for her Creative Writing course. She figured she could afford this one zero.

As she took her normal seat on the right side of the classroom, Professor Janowicz called Garrett Jones up to read his paper aloud. The tall, good-looking, sophomore stood in front of the class and cleared his throat, "Garrett's Fate: The Perfect Murder."

Bella slid down in her seat. Who gives a stupid writing assignment to a bunch of kids - because face it, most sophomores in college are still kids - where the topic is to describe the perfect murder?

She tried not to listen as Garrett read his paper, but then something he said caught her attention: "Before constructing the perfect murder, one must plan to a 'T' the perfect alibi. Or better yet, not be there at all."

* * *

><p><strong>March 28, 2008<strong>

Bella took another look at herself in the full length mirror on the back of her bedroom door. Black platform Mary-Jane's made her about three inches taller. The plaid mini skirt she wore made her legs look longer, adding to the illusion that she was five foot eight inches, like her driver's license stated.

Her manga bunny tee shirt was tight. Her blue bobbed wig came just below her ears. She debated on the black frame glasses for a minute longer, then picked up her bag and headed for the Sakura-Con at the Washington State Convention Center.

She had been in Seattle for about two months. Graduating from ASU two semesters ahead of schedule, thanks to summer courses, gave her the time she needed to set up in the little run-down apartment near the University of Washington campus.

Upon arrival, Bella made a beeline for Yuna Kagesaki's display and signing. Yesterday on Facebook, Ben had posted that it was going to be the main event for him, as well as the reason he purchased con tickets to start with.

She rolled her eyes as she approached the line of people waiting for autographs. Ben Cheney was almost five years older than her, still in college, and loved manga. Sure he had a decent job, but he was so _not _her type! She caught site of the man, dressed in black with a red tie, as he entered the line with two of his friends.

Shyly she entered the line behind them and took out her cell phone to play Tetris. It didn't even take three minutes for the three men in front of her to take notice.

"What are you playing?"

She looked up and tilted her head coyly. "Oh, um, it's just Tetris." She shrugged and bit her lip nervously.

Ben stepped forward. "I'm working on a kick ass new game for cell phones."

She took note of how his eyes zeroed in on her breasts. She stood up straight and feigned interest. She waited for him to make eye contact with her and then presented him with a wide smile while looking demurely downward. "That's very cool."

Ben stepped away from his friends and closer to Bella. "Is this your first con?"

She snorted and then lied, "No. I try to go to a few every year, but since I graduate this year, I've been trying to cut back so I can find a job. The only other one I'll go to is the OMG!Con in Kentucky in _June_. I have family there, so I'll squeeze in a visit with them, too."

"Graduating, uh, college?"

Bella gave a very delicate laugh and put her hand on his arm. "Yes, college. I work at a Starbucks near campus right now."

"Oh yeah? Which Starbucks?"

"The one on 26th."

Ben fidgeted with his tie. "I live on 21st. I'll have to stop in and visit some time."

Ben's friends asked him a question and he turned back around in line. Bella smiled and returned to her phone. Before she could start up her game of Tetris, Ben turned to her again, "Hey, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ben."

She took his hand and instead of shaking, just held it tightly. "Hi Ben. My name's Angela."

* * *

><p><strong>April 1, 2009<strong>

"Hey, do you a need a hand with that?"

Bella set the box down on the curb and reached back in to the rented U-Haul. "That'd be great!" She said in an extremely perky voice that grated on even her nerves. "Could you just carry it down the walk there to apartment 203? It's the one on the…"

"I got it. Right next door to me."

"Really?"

She bent over and picked up another box, giving him a face full of her back side in denim short shorts. She put on about twenty five pounds and dyed her hair blond, but the increase in boob size and weight to her bottom seemed to fit in profile with the pictures of women he'd tagged on his Facebook page.

He followed her to her apartment and she thanked him by batting her false eyelashes. They were a bitch to put on so he'd better appreciate them. Combine them with the blue contacts she had in and her eyes were starting to bother her.

She reminded herself she only had to deal with it for three months tops. July first, she could use the excuse of a haunted apartment next door and break her lease.

"My name's Mike. If you ever need anything, just knock on my door." He stopped and reached out, "Or the wall."

Bella gave her best giggle and promised to do that. Mike told her he had to go to work and then invited her to stop by The Velvet Room where he bartended. He left her apartment but then jogged back to the door.

"I forgot to ask your name."

"Oh, it's Jessica."

He smiled and repeated it, then slapped the door frame and left for work.

* * *

><p><strong>April 9, 2010<strong>

For nine months Bella stayed in Phoenix and planned her next move. She joined a gym and lost all of her "L.A. weight." She avoided going out in the sun and cherished her pale skin when the last of her _fake and bake _tan lines finally disappeared.

By the time she met Jasper Whitlock at Lone Star Park, she had made herself as small as she possibly could. She'd cut her hair into a short pixie style and could finally fit into size zero jeans.

Jasper's Facebook page was sort of sad. He had "liked" so many different pages that had to do with gambling and betting. Bella was, to be frank, shocked that this man was a teacher. According to his page, him and his fellow _educators _were getting together at The Lone Star Park Horse Racing Track for opening weekend.

She entered the bar and found their group quickly. She had brought along a friend that worked at the mall with her and they sat gossiping about co-workers while she waited to make her move. Bella pointed Jasper out to her friend from work and then proceeded to stare, flirt, and basically eye-fuck him through the entire night of horse racing.

Bella's co-worker stood to leave and asked if she was OK to drive home. After assuring her that she was, Jasper finally walked over to their table. Bella patted the now empty seat beside her, "Well, you kept me waiting long enough."

Jasper laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Bella smiled and waved the waitress over. "Let me buy you a beer. I've had a lucky night on the horses."

Jasper stopped her and shook his head at the waitress. "How about if we just get out of here."

"I don't even know your name."

"I'm Jasper Whitlock, ma'am. I'm a history teacher at James Madison High School. I'm 29 years old. Single." He wiggled his eyebrows.

She smiled, stood up and he grabbed her by the hand, leading her to his friends. "Hey y'all. Me and…"

"Alice."

He smiled and pulled her hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on it. "Me and Alice, are going to cut outta here." A few of them whistled as Jasper and Bella walked away.

* * *

><p><strong>May 6, 2011<strong>

Bella smoothed out her tee shirt so the "V" displayed her cleavage. She bent over to pick up her purse and give the row of men in section 109 a great view of her red bra. She stood and tossed her hair over her shoulder before squeezing down the aisle.

"Excuse me, boys." She smiled and as she reached the last man on the aisle, he stood to let her pass.

"Thank you," she smirked and raised her voice so her friend at the end of the aisle could hear her, "See, this is a real gentleman."

He puffed out his chest and the rest of the row sent a mix of apologies and jeers down the row. By the time she returned from the rest room, the third period had started and the Detroit Red Wings were up by a goal. The man in the aisle seat stood again and Bella pretended to trip, falling in to his chest and forcing him to sit down with her on his lap.

She tried to get up, but he held on to her hips. So Bella did what any sane women would do when a stranger grabbed her. She punched him. His face shown his shock and he immediately let her go.

As she made her way back to her seat, he got up and followed her down the row. She turned around and raised her voice, "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

The people behind them yelled at them to sit down and be quiet because they were blocking the game. Instead the two stood and argued as he tried to apologize and coax her name out of her while she cursed and called him names that would make the hockey players blush.

Finally, the Arena security came and hauled the two away. They sat in a office underground and waited out the end of the game. It was only when the elderly security officer took her identification and repeated her name aloud, that Emmett learned the source of his ruined evening.

He leaned over and whispered, "You owe me, Rosalie Hale. I missed the end of the game, and those tickets weren't cheap."

* * *

><p><strong>June 9, 2012<strong>

Bella parked and hiked her way across the trail leading to the cabin. Inside, she found Jake asleep on the couch with empty beer bottles lined up on the table. A cell phone sat next to a half eaten candy bar. She kicked his foot that was hanging over the armrest.

Jake bolted up. "Oh, Christ, Bella. You scared me."

She walked in to the kitchen and waited for Jake. He took a seat at the table while Bella heated up a plate for him in the microwave. She poured him a large glass of milk then leaned over the counter to crush two pills before adding the powder to the glass.

Jake stayed at the table, his face buried in his palms. "Are you ready to hear me out, Bella? I mean, I'm glad you let me stay here in the cabin, but I need to tell you…"

He stopped to wipe his eyes and Bella rolled hers before turning around and placing the glass of milk and plate of left overs from her fridge. "Here. Eat first." She waited a minute and then went back to the kitchen counter and opened her purse. "You seem pretty tired?"

"Yeah, my dad had me see a shrink for my nerves. I'm a mess. But she gave me some shit that seems to calm me."

Bella smiled as she watched his eyes droop. _Probably didn't need to give him more then, _she thought to herself.

When he finished eating, Bella took his plate and glass and washed the dishes. Jacob put his head down on the table and closed his eyes to wait for her so they could talk. She turned around and saw him snoring, head flat on the table.

"Oh, this is just too easy." She reached in to her purse and put on a pair of latex gloves. She then pulled out a soft cotton pouch and removed the gun. Forcing Jacob's hand around the silver and black of the weapon, she rested his finger on the trigger and pulled.

Bella drove to the cemetery where she changed her clothes in the darkness of the cab of her truck. She shoved her clothing underneath her seat to dispose of later. She would finish washing up inside the bathroom of the grocery store when it opened.

* * *

><p><strong>June 30, 2012<strong>

The fire in front of her reached toward the sky. Sparks of embers escaped the blaze and made holes in the blackness above her. Bella stood and threw another handful of pictures on to the blaze. She watched as the remaining remnants of her other selves melted and became ash.

Once the suitcase was empty of all its contents, Bella waited until the fire had died out. She then dug a whole and buried the ashes that were left. She returned to her truck that was loaded with everything she was taking with her to Richmond and continued on the road to Seattle.

Stopping at a Salvation Army store, Bella put her empty suitcase in to the donation drop box. Two bags of clothing followed it.

Bella called Edward at the end of her first day's drive. She was in a motel just outside Butte, Montana. She called him again the next night from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and again the third night from Dayton, Ohio. When she reached Richmond late on the fourth night, Edward was waiting at her apartment and pulled her directly inside, pressing kisses over her face while they undressed and made their way to the shower.

"It's so good to be home."


	10. Chapter 10

**June 7, 2013**

Bella stood over the bed packing her suitcase. Edward sulked in the doorway to the closet. "I could still fly down and meet up with you on Monday or Tuesday."

She smiled and added her favorite shorts to the pile growing on her bed. "If you can make it, that's great. If not, you can meet my mom and Phil another time."

"Don't get me wrong. I want to meet your mom and step-dad, but I'm more worried about not being there for you on Sunday."

She walked around the bed to her closet and put her arms around him. "I know you are. Don't worry. We'll probably just pull out some old photos or watch a baseball game in memory of Charlie." She raised up on her tip toes and kissed his chin. "You have work. It'll be fine. I promise."

Edward left Bella with a kiss as she boarded her flight to Sarasota. It was a gorgeous day and there was very little turbulence on the regional jet. Upon landing, her mother met her at the gate and together they drove back to the house that Renee and Phil had bought last year in Bayshore Gardens.

Bella went over her checklist again that evening as her mom dyed her hair a beautiful red; L'Oreal Power Reds Ruby Rush should do the trick.

It was about a six hour drive from her mom's to the two bedroom house that James Thompson rented near the Marine Corp Logistics Command Base in Albany, Georgia. Last month, Bella had told Edward that her and her college friends were spending their annual girls' getaway vacation in Chicago. Instead she spent the week following James in Albany.

At dinner, Renee and Bella made sure to talk about how they would be spending the next day running around shopping and then going to the beach. Phil only spoke up to remind them that he had an away game and wouldn't be able to join them. A few hours later he kissed Bella on the forehead and promised to spend time with both women when he got back in town.

Bella spent all day Saturday at the beach, purposely allowing herself to get a slight sunburn. At three o'clock, she called Edward. At four o'clock, she handed Renee her cell phone and took the keys that belonged to the neighbor. Mrs. Lowenstein was in New York visiting her newborn granddaughter and Renee kindly offered to watch her house. The small Statue of Liberty key ring had the silver key to the Lowenstein home as well as the fob and key to the black Lexus parked in the garage.

At seven forty-five, Renee sat in the movie theater alone after purchasing two tickets to the newest romantic comedy. Bella's cell phone vibrated at eight fifteen with a call from Edward. Renee quickly texted back that they were in a movie and _she _would call him back after.

At ten o'clock, Renee sent Edward another text that Bella had scribbled on a post it: _Sorry 4got to call. Mom & I went for Mexican. Margaritas. So Tired. _

She waited for Edward's reply, and as Bella told her, he said for her to sleep and that he loved her.

She hit reply: _Love you too. XO _

At about the same time that night, Bella pulled up to the bar near base, Benchwarmers. After a quick trip to the ladies' room to fluff her new red hair, apply more make-up, and adjust her cleavage, she made her way to the bar and took a seat where she could easily scan the room.

By midnight, Bella had slipped enough benzodiazepine into James' beers, that she had to drive them back to his house. It was hard getting him up the stairs, but luckily he lived alone.

* * *

><p><strong>June 9, 2013<strong>

Renee answered the door shortly after three on Sunday afternoon. Edward stood there looking tired and sweaty. "Renee."

She smiled and gave him a hug. "Edward! It's so nice to finally meet you in person. Come in. Come in."

He followed her inside and took a moment to appreciate the air-conditioning before setting his bag down by the couch. "Is Bella here? I've been trying to call her for the last couple of hours."

Renee went to the breakfast counter that separated the front room from the kitchen and picked up Bella's cell phone. "I thought I heard this thing buzzing. She went to the beach a few hours ago. Why don't you…" She picked up his bag and motioned for him to follow her to Bella's room, "…Go ahead and change in here and then I'll show you where she is."

After donning a pair of shorts and a tank top, Edward followed Renee through a sliding glass door and down a walkway path of stepping stones that led to the beach. She stopped and covered her eyes with her right hand like a visor to block the sun. After scanning the area she finally pointed, "There she is."

Edward thanked Renee and walked over to the woman in the white bikini just stepping out of the ocean. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun so that it wouldn't get wet. She looked up and smiled and jogged toward him.

"Hey, you're here early!"

Edward hugged Bella and then held her at arms' length. "Red?" He quirked an eyebrow, "It looks good though."

She self-consciously ran her hand over her scalp, "Yeah, it's not permanent. It'll wash out soon. Mom wanted to use me as a guinea pig. She's thinking about going to beauty school." Bella rolled her eyes.

They started walking back to the blanket that she had laid out near the house when Edward's phone rang.

"Masen."

Bella took a seat and checked her tan lines while Edward appreciated his view. "What? When?" He looked out to the ocean then started to pace.

She reached over and took a drink from her water bottle.

Edward raised his voice and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Yeah, Emily, really fucking _ironic_!" He listened a bit longer and then looked at Bella. He took a deep breath. "Let me call you back later."

Bella patted the spot on the blanket next to her. "Problem at work? You don't have to go do you?"

He sat, then lay down next to her and covered his eyes with his hands. She immediately started to cover his legs in sun block.

"No. I don't have to go. I just - that was Emily."

Bella smiled. "Yeah, I gathered. You OK?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. It's just," he sat up and stilled her hand on his thigh. He waited until she was looking at him, "There was this guy from Forks. I wanted to question him last year, but never got the chance. The case closed and nothing ever came of it."

Bella sat up on her knees and gave him her full attention.

"Well Sam just got a call that this guy was found dead early this morning. Initial reports say he was cleaning his service revolver when it went off."

Bella closed her eyes and dropped her chin to her chest. Edward reached for her and embraced her in a tight hug. He could hear her whisper, "Just like my dad."

Edward rubbed his hand up and down her back, feeling bits of sand under his palm. He took a deep breath, "To top it off, James recently got custody of his daughter. She's eleven and was supposed to be spending the night at a friend's house. Turns out she was home the whole time. They found her hiding under her bed."

Bella gasped. Her eyes filled with tears as she crawled up on to Edward's lap.

* * *

><p>That's all folks!<p>

**A/N**: Thank you all for reading this ficlet/novella. Everyone was so kind and I didn't expect anyone to read it since I don't really post or participate on any other sites, blogs, comms (other than E-ville and TF) I know fics get read by word of mouth, pretty much, so thank you **katinki** and **The Fictionators** for mentioning my little story… ESPECIALLY BECAUSE ¾ of the characters were killed or never even existed.

It's weird to mark "complete". I feel... I don't know... good, I guess. Sorta high, ya know?


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